Hen-marker



S.'l\/IO0RE.

HEN MARKER.

APPLICATloN FILED AuG.25, 1919.

. Emma Mar. 22, 1921 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

" @Sme/Moz @www UNITED sTAres- PATENT oFFIcs SILAS MOORE, F PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA.

KEN-MARKER.

Application `filed August 25, 1919.` SerialNo. 319,544.

To GZ?, wwmfit may concern.' i

Be it known that I, SILAs Moons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Palo Alto, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented a new and useful Hen-lll'arker, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to a device used in combination with hens nests, and more particularly to devices for marking a hen at the time of laying, to indicate the laying hens of a Hock. y

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will be purely automatic in its operation, and one which will mark by dropping a predetere mined quantity of colored fluid onto the back of a fowl, to enable an attendant to segregate the laying hens from the non-lav ing fowls.

A further object of thisinvention is to provide a marker of this character which will operate by the weight of the fowl entering the nest. i

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details 'of construction hereinafter described and claimed., it being understood that changes in the'precise embodiment of the in vention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings y Figure 1 is a side elevational view partly in section, of a device constructed in accordance with my invention. y y

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. C is a sectional view taken on line :1 -12? oi" Fig. 1. i i

Refer-ring to the drawings in detail, refcrence character indicates a nest casin having the end walls (i, side walls 7, an the bottom wall 8.

Supported within the casing is an auxiliary liest tray 9 which is of a size equal to the interior area of the casing 5, the end walls of said auxiliary tray being apertured as at l() to receive the hooked portions 11 of the supjiorting rods 12, the upper ends of said supporting rods being provided with hooked members 13, which are embraced by the ring 14, which extends through the eccentric link 15 for connecting the rods 12 to the supporting spring 16, which as shown has its upper end extending through the aperture 17 provided in the depending iiange 1S forminga `part ofthe tank cas ing, to be hereinafter more fully described.

As shown by Fig. `l of the drawings, the rods 12 support the auxiliary tray 9 in spaced relation with the bottom 8 of the nest proper, so that the tray 9 may move vertically within nest 5, a predetermined distance, thereby permitting of the opez tion o-f the liquid dispensing mechanism, to be hereinafter more fully described.

A fluid tank 19 is i suitably supported above the nest, and is provided with an upwardly extending [lange Q0, which is provided with an opening 21 to receive the hook member 22 for securing the tank 1,9 to its support. As shown, the tank 1.9 is preferably circular in formation, and is provided with a bottom wall. 2? which is apertured as at 2d to receive one end of the tube 25, the lower end of which extends through the aperture Q4 being threaded to receive the gaskets 26, which are held into close engagement with the bottom 9,3 of the tankby means, of the lock nuts 25', the lower end of said tube 25 extending below the lower lock nut to receive the threaded connection 27, which supports the discharge tube 2Q in operative relation with the tube 25.

The upper end of the tube 25 is threaded as at 29 to receive the threaded portion of the cap 30, which is apertured as at 31 to allow the operating rod 32 to pass. therethrough. This operating rod, has one of its ends positioned within the tube 25, said end provided with the valve member 33, secured thereon by means of the nut Bet, and prevented against longitudinal. movement on said rod 32, by means ofl the nut A washer 3G engages the nut 35 and acts as an abutment for the lower end of the coil spring 37, which is of a length sub stantially equal to the length of the tube 25 and its cap 30, the upper end of said coil spring 37 engaging the inner surface of the cap 30, for normally holding the valve 33 to its seat within the connection 27.

Supported on the liange 2O by means of the rivet 38, is a cleat 39, which is provided with anopening l0 forming a guide way for the upper end of the rod 32, which as shown is threaded throughout the portion of its length, as at 41, to receive the adjusting nut 43.

the Vopposite end opening in the lever cationV between .v Y tion as indicated by ilia'ry tray, causes the arm 50 to move Supportedv adjacent the rod 32, and eccentrically pivoted to the flange 20, is the lever 42, which 'has one of its edges engaging the adjusting nut 43, the opposite end thereofl having a flattened surface 44 which coj erates with the flattened surface on the end 46 of theright angled lever 47, which is'also eccentrically pivoted to the llange 20. as at 48, so that movement of the arm 47 will produce a relative movement of the lever 42. the stop 49 secured to the flange 20 being for the purpose of restri'eting movement ot' the arm 47.

The lever 50 has one of its ends pivotally connected tothe depending flange as at 5l, extending laterally and terminating at a point beyond the vertical plane' ofthe side wall i9, and 'is provided with an eye 52, which accommodates the hooked .end 53 of the rod which has its upper end threaded'as at 55 to receive the adjusting nut 5G,`which in turn engages the free end of the arm 47 tor transmitting` movement thereto'.

The lever 50 has connection with the eccentric link l5, through the rod 57, which has one of its ends extending through an 50, the opposite end extending through the-opening 5S of the eccentric link 15.

t will therefore be seen that movement of the rods l2, caused by weight in the auxdownwardly, thereby transmitting movement to the various levers and rods of the invention.

Adjacent the bottom of the tube 25, are themopenings 59, which provide communithe interior of the tube 25 and the tank 19, whereby fluid is supplied to the tube 25.

The operation of my device is as follows: he device, is normally held in the posi- F ig. l of the drawings. but when a fowl entersra nest.` the nest moves downwardly under the weight thereof, with the result that the rod 54 is moved downwardly. carryingwith it the arm 47,

which in turnmoves theA end 46 so that the flattened portion 462 and the flattened portion 44 ot the lever 42 engage, moving the rod 32 vertically, which has connection with the' lever 42 through the adjustable nut 43,

with the result that a predetermined quantityT of fluid, which is preferably colored aljiright color so that the same will be visible'on the back .of a fowl,

is dropped onto the Jfowl which is on the nest.Y

In the operation of the device, `the tray'9 moves downwardly under the weight ol a bird entering` the nest, with the result thatI the arm 50 is moved downwardly, carrying the rod 54 downwardly, the nut 5G moving` one end ot the arm 47 to a position adjacent the upper wall of the tank lll or to a position where the -nut 5G disengages the. arm 47.

lVhen the arm 47 is moving downwardly. itis of course obvious that the lever 42. and more particularly the edge thereof which engages the nut 43, is n'ioved upwardly. moving the rod 32 in a relative position to cause fluid to be dispensed through the tube 2S. the coiled spring 3T acting to reseat the valve member 33 when the nut 5G and arm 47 have become disengaged.

1When the bird leaves the tray S), the. coiled springs 1G come into play to move the nut 5G to a position a bove the arm 1 -7 where the same is in a position to again move. the. arm -l-T downwardly, to cause the dispensing ol' liquid through the discharge tube 2S when weight is directed to the tray fl.

lt is of course obvious that by adjusting the. nuts and 56, longitiulinally olE the rods on which the same. are supported. the quantity of luid discharged trom the tube 25, may be regulated to suit the will ot the attendant.

Ilaving thus described my invention. what. I cla-im is ln a marking device, a liquid dispensing apparatus, including a supply tank, a tube disposed within the tank and having' lateral openings providing communication between the tube and tank, a rod operating in the tube and carrying a valve member on one end thereotl ior normally closing the lower end of the tube. a lever pivotally connected to the tank, a rod having connection with the lever, said rod havinga threaded upper end. an adjusting nut on the threaded end` an arm pivotally connected to the tank and having one end contacting with the adjusting nut but releasable therefrom after 'i 

